Who are the tribal people of the rainforest?
They are usually called Indians or indigenous people. No one knows for sure how or when these original inhabitants of the rainforests got there. There are perhaps a thousand or more forest groups around the world – many close to extinction! In 1900, Brazil had 1,000,000 (one million) Indians. Today, there are less than 200,000. Eighty-seven tribes have been killed off in Brazil since 1900 – that’s almost one tribe per year! Indigenous people live in small groups or tribes. They are either hunter-gatherers or hunter-gardeners. They build their homes from trees and palm leaves. They have their own spiritual beliefs. Rubber tappers also live in the rainforests of Brazil. They are not Indians but have learned to take rubber from rubber trees without killing the trees. Why are the rainforests so important? A: Rainforests help control the world’s climate. In the rainforest, it rains a lot and is very hot. When it rains, the heat makes the rainwater evaporate back into the air – this means it
